Cursed
by Pyralspite
Summary: "And so as the years went by, the Prince fell into a despair, losing all hope. For who could ever learn to love...a beast?" A take on the classic story "Beauty and the Beast".
1. Chapter 1:Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, or Beauty and the Beast. These works of literature belong to Suzanne Collins and The Brothers Grimm**

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He tore at the painting in his fury, leaving long parallel scratches in the former portrait of his face. His reckless rage left many of the items in his castle in shambles, a mere shadow of their former glory. Stomping over, he sat on the chair next to his most prized possession; a white rose concealed within a pristine glass case. A faint pink glow surrounded the rose, as yet another petal fell, joining the few that lay littered at the bottom.

The prince had not always been like this. Once, long ago, he was happy. He lived in a beautiful white castle in the middle of the forest, with servants to dote on his every move. He was strikingly attractive for a boy his age, and he was very aware of this fact.

Though he had everything he had ever wanted, he was spoiled, selfish, haughty, and unkind. This was what had led him to his untimely downfall.

On a snowy night, a few days after the prince's twelfth birthday, an old beggar woman came to the castle. She offered his a single white rose, in exchange for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard and ugly appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away.

The old woman simply stood there, watching the prince through wise, age-old eyes.

"One must not be deceived by appearances, my dear Prince Peeta," she rasped, "For Beauty is found deep within,"

The Prince felt a chill run down his spine as the old woman said his name. He turned to her, his blue-eyes brimmed with fury, and sent her away for a second time.

When he dismissed her again, her ugliness melted away like a candle, to reveal a beautiful enchantress. She wore a long flowing green dress, and held a small wand in one of her hands. Her green eyes were cold, calculating, and her red hair flowed around her, in an almost ethereal way. She was entrancing, and her whole being radiated power.

The Prince was utterly terrified of her.

He instantly got down on his knees and tried to apologize, but alas, it was too late. The enchantress had already seen that the young prince had held no love in his heart. She knew that he only regretted his words now that he had seen her true form.

And so, as a punishment, she cast a powerful spell on the prince, disfiguring him with scars, and set a curse on the castle and all its occupants. The beautiful winter night immediately turned sinister, as the sky darkened. The white turrets of the castle turned black, the cherub decorations turning into hideous gargoyles. Within the castle, there were shouts of surprise as one by one, all of the Prince's servants, assistants, and advisors turned into common household appliances. The Prince looked at the enchantress, utter horror painting his face.

The boy's screams lit up the night, as the enchantress turned her wand on him. Slowly, searing hot lines appeared across his skin, sending him spasming in pain. He lay in the snow, screaming and grabbing his arms and torso, as the lines appeared. The cuts began to bleed, and at the sight of blood, the Prince passed out.

The enchantress scowled, looking at the bleeding body in front of her. Blood stained his orange robes, turning them a deep crimson color. He was now a beast, his body scarred to the point of sheer hideousness. She felt no remorse, for the boy needed to learn a lesson. She stayed for a few seconds more, before wrapping her robe around herself, and slipping back into the forest.

The rose she had offered the boy was truly an enchanted rose which would bloom for many years. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell on his twenty-first birthday, the spell would be broken. If he could not, then he would be doomed to remain a hideous beast forever.

And so as the years passed, the Prince fell into despair, losing all hope.

For who could ever learn to love…..a beast?

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**So this is basically a short Prologue for my new fanfic, which is a take on Beauty and the Beast with Hunger Games characters. The original story told by the Brother's Grimm was edited by Disney, to make it more viewable by younger audiences. My story is going to be based mostly on the Disney version, except with a more sinister feel. Think of it as a mix between the original and the disney version.**

**I'm working on chapter 1 of this right now, which will be giving you an insight on Katniss (Belle)'s life. Over the course of the story, I'll be using many different references to the hunger games, most of which you'll have to dig deeply to find.**

**For example, in the prologue, I symbolized President Snow through the White Rose. In the original story, it was a red rose, but I substituted it with white since it symbolizes president snow. It also symbolizes how the rose traps the Prince to his fate, much as how Snow traps Peeta with his fate by sending him into the hunger games.**

**I also made it so that Peeta doesn't turn into a beast, but is horribly disfigured by scars. This symbolizes the scars that he gained through the bombing. I also couldn't really imagine Peeta as a mutt.**

**Anyway, I'll try to get up the next few chapters as soon as I can. I'll probably be updating this on a weekly basis, so that I have time for my other story, "clockwork".**

**Beauty and the Beast has been an all time favorite of mine, and It has played a major role on my childhood. I hope that some of you show a love for this story as much as I do.**

**Thank you for reading. I would really appreciate if you reviewed and told me the things I did well, as well as the things I could improve.**

**~Reaper**


	2. Chapter 2:Provincial Life

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, or Beauty and the Beast. These beautiful works of literature belong to Suzanne Collins and The Brother's Grimm respectivly**

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She walked through the busy provincial streets of District Twelve, a smile gracing her face. She was wearing her typical white and blue dress, her dark hair braided down her back.

Katniss Everdeen was truly a strange girl in the townspeople's point of view. She always had her nose buried in a book, and when she wasn't reading, she was either hunting, or helping out her father with his strange inventions. Though she was beautiful, she never showed any sign that she recognized it. Nor did she recognize that she was being sought after by one of the most eligible bachelors in District 12. At twenty years old, she longed for some adventure in her life. She longed to get away from the almost monotonous life she lived, but deep in her heart, she knew that she might never get to.

And so Katniss hummed a tune underneath her breath as she walked, greeting people with a small "Bonjour," in their direction.

"Hello Katniss, where are you off to today?" The old woman at the soup cart asked, turning to her. Katniss smiled.

"I'm headed off to the bookstore Sae. I just read this wonderful book about and ogre and a princess and-"

"That's nice dear," Sae said, turning around. "Posy! Get those vegetables chopped!" She yelled at a young girl, who looked around sixteen. The girl nodded, and started running her knife through the carrots.

Katniss shook her head at their bustle, smiling slightly. She would never get tired of old Sae's rough ways. She continued on her way, her book clutched in her hand, completely unaware of the townspeople watching her, whispering about how different she was. Her smile widened at the sight of the bookstore. She opened the door, and was greeted by a merry jingle as she walked in.

The bookstore owner was a kind man by the name of Cinna. His skin was a deep chocolate color and his eyes were enhanced by a gold line that lay thinly on his eyelid.

"Ah, back so soon Katniss?" he asked with a kind smile on his face.

"Oh, I couldn't put the book down! It was incredible, with adventure, mystery, romance," she said, hugging it to her chest and smiling. "Do you have any new books for me this week Cinna?"

"I'm afriaid not Katniss, the new shipment comes in next month," he said, shelving another book. Katniss shrugged, and went over to the shelves, skimming through the book titles. Her eyes lit up as she came to her favorite one.

"That's all right, I'll check out….this one," She said, pulling the book out from the shelf. A beautiful stained glass window illustration decorated the cover.

Cinna chuckled jovially, "But that the third time this month you're checking that out. You've proabably read it a hundred times already!"

"I know Cinna, but it's my favorite! Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise-"

Cinna laughed, shaking his head. "If you love it that much Katniss, then it's all yours,"

"Oh sir, I can't"

"Yes you can my dear. If you love it so much, I want you to have it,"

"Oh, thank you so much!" Katniss laughed, giving Cinna a tight hug. The older man chuckled and ran his hand down Katniss's hair tenderly. Over the years, he had come to see the girl as his own daughter, and there was nobody in the world he loved more.

The girl bounded out of the store, her skirt flapping around her ankles. The book was already open, and she read through it, not truly watching where she was going. She smoothly maneuvered past people and animals alike, not caring about her surroundings. Something about books entranced her since a very early age, and she was almost in her own world when she was reading, letting her imagination take flight.

Katniss was highly aware of the townspeople staring at her, and whispering behind her back. At first, when she was young, this would hurt her. She would ask her father why they whispered. He would smile, and always come up with the same response.

"They're jealous of you Katniss,"

And so, keeping this thought in her head, she ignored the townspeople's staring. After all these years, she had perfected the art, and it came almost as second nature to her.

She hurried through the town, her nose buried in her book. She was almost to the edge of town, when someone stopped her.

A large gloved hand came down, and plucked the book from her grasp. She looked up to see Gale Hawthorne, the town's most eligible bachelor, examining her book.

"How do you even read these things?" he asked, holding it upside down. Katniss jumped for it, scowling, but Gale held it out of her reach. "It doesn't even have pictures!"

"It's a book Gale, it has words, you're supposed to read it," she says, crossing her arms. He looked at it once more, and then, with a quick sweep of his arm, chucked it in the mud puddle behind him. Katniss gasped, her anger flaring, and dodged for the book, only to have Gale blocking her.

"Why would you even read that thing? It's not right for a girl to read. Soon she starts getting ideas, making her own decisions," he epitomes a shudder, causing Katniss to roll her eyes.

"That's absolutely barbaric Gale," she said, reaching to get her book. She picked it up, grimacing at the dirt on it.

"I know, isn't it? They say that's the best thing about me,"

"mmhmmm, sure," Katniss said sarcastically, trying to get around him, only to have him block her once more.

"Now why would you spend time reading a book, when you can spend time with the handsomest man in town?" he asked, flashing a devilish smile. Katniss groaned inwardly, rolling her eyes, and forced a grin onto her face.

"As lovely as that sounds Gale, I really must be going. Papa is expecting me at home," she said, coming to the trail that lead to her house.

"Going back to your crazy father eh?" Gale's friend Thom said, smirking behind him. She hadn't even noticed Thom there. Gale started laughing.

"My father is not crazy!" Katniss yelled at them, her face contorting in an angry expression. The laugh dropped off Gale's face as he smacked Thom upside the head.

"Oww, but you said so yourself earlier," he protested, rubbing the back of his head. Katniss scowled.

"My father is not crazy! He's a genius!" she said once more. Just as she finished her sentence, she heard a loud boom come from behind her. She turned to see smoke puff out of the windows and the chimney. She turned tail and hurried home, leaving Gale and Thom behind her, their horrible laughter echoing in the air.

Yes, her life was very monotonous. She loved her father dearly, but the provincial way of living was not for her.

She wanted adventure.

Little did she know, she would get it very soon.

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**Again, a very short chapter. This one was just a quick intro to Katniss. I know she's very OOC, but come on, she's Belle. She's supposed to be happy, and beautiful, and smart.**

**I really didn't want to make Gale into Gaston due to the tragic ending, but I really couldn't find a better character to play Gaston. Guess I'll have to work around it.**

**The plot will pick up in the next chapter, when Katniss's father wander's off into the woods while going to the Invention Fair. We'll also get to see how Peeta is faring after spending eight and a half years in a hideous state.**

**You guys will also get to meet Finnick, Annie, Beetee, Prim, Rory, and Hazelle in the next chapter. I'm warning you though, they may not appear how you expect them.**

**Try to guess who Finnick, Beetee, and Prim are. :) REVIEW if you figure it out, and I'll try to tell you if you're right. If you're an Anon, then I'll mention you at the end of the next chapter, so I can answer your question.**

**Please REVIEW and tell me how I'm doing!**

**~Reaper**


	3. Chapter 3:A Horrible Turn of Events

**A/N: I know this is horribly late, but my computer died last weekend, and I had this chapter and the most recent chapter of clockwork open when it died. Sadly, the two chapters deleted. My dad fixed my computer only yesterday, and I worked furiously all of today to finish it, so I apologize for any confusing statements or misspellings.**

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"Papa, are you alright?" Katniss asked, fanning the air in front of her to clear away the smoke. She stepped further into the cellar, where her father was working on this newest invention.

The smoke finally cleared, and there was her father, sitting on the floor, his glasses askew and a smile on his face. Katniss started chuckling, and sat next to him, cleaning the soot from his face.

There was nobody in the world Katniss adored more than her father. From a very young age, he had raised her after her mother died of a strange disease. In the days before her mother died, Katniss remembered how her mother had mysterious bruises down her spine that formed with no provocation. She remembered the large raised lump on the side of her mother's jaw. A few days after the raised lump was found, her mother had died.

Her father, Maurice Everdeen, was deeply saddened by her death, for he had loved Katniss's mother very much. Nonetheless, he doted on Katniss, and raised her on his own.

"I almost had it!" Maurice said in slight frustration. The fair was this afternoon, and he was taking his newest invention, an automatic wood chopper, to the inventor's contest. He had been working on it for days, his determination turning into frustration along the way.

"Don't worry Papa, I'm sure you'll get it by this afternoon," Katniss said, putting her book down. Her father got on his back and crawled under the contraption.

"Katniss, can you hand me the wrench?" He said, reaching an arm out. She picked up the tool from his table, and handed it to him. He tightened something and crawled back out, running a hand through his dark hair that was now streaked with gray.

"I think I've finally got it!" he said, putting a hand behind him to shield Katniss. She peered around her father, who was much larger than she was, as he pulled the lever. Suddenly, a log of wood went flying through the air, and landed on one of the machine parts. It then went through the machine, getting sliced and chopped multiple times, until, at the end, it was sized perfectly. The whole process took less than ten seconds.

Katniss and her father looked at the machine in awe. A wide smile broke out across her face as she hugged her father and jumped up and down.

"It worked Papa, It worked! You're definitely going to win the fair now!"

"I suppose it did," he said, his booming laugh spreading through the small cottage. He walked over to his work table, wincing a bit and limping as he did.

Years ago, Katniss's father had been involved in a mine accident, which left him with a broken leg which never healed properly. It gave him an uneven gait, and left him very weak, even to this day. After the accident, he found different ways of taking care of Katniss, and swore not to put himself in danger lest he leave her alone in this world.

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"Bye Papa!" Katniss yelled, waving at her father, who was trotting away on their horse, Buttercup. She went back inside to clean up the cottage and read her book.

Maurice Everdeen entered the woods, excited as ever to be going to the fair. He had come so close to winning in previous years, and this year, he was sure that the tides would turn, and the grand prize would be all his.

Buttercup trotted faithfully through the woods, until they came upon a fork in the path. Maurice held his lantern up to read the sign. The words were blurred past recognition. He peered at the fork in the road, noting the differences between the path, and checked his map. One side of the fork led down a light and cheerful path, full of green trees and chirping birds. The other looked quite forlorn, with dead trees, and dark screeches that echoed through the air.

Maurice checked his map again, and started to lead Buttercup down the darker path. He was almost sure that this was shortcut. The horse whinnied in protest and tried to force the cart towards the lighter path, but Maurice was firm.

"Come on Buttercup, I know this is a shortcut!" he said, restraining the protesting horse. Buttercup finally gave in, and turned its wary eyes towards the dark path ahead. The horse gave a snort, and continued to trot.

Maurice held his map out, trying to decipher where every path led. He twisted and turned it in different directions, and let out a frustrated groan.

"Buttercup, where are you taking us? You've gotten us lost!" He said, glaring at the horse. Buttercup whinnied in protest, his dirty blonde mane shaking.

Suddenly, a wolf whistled in the distance. Buttercup reared, spooked by the noise. Maurice tried to calm him down by petting his neck, but the horse didn't listen. It backed up into a tree, its heart racing. The tree seemed to emit a terrifying screeching noise, as dozens of bats came soaring out of the hollow. The bats were the last straw for buttercup. He reared up, unknowing knocking Maurice off, and bolted back through the woods.

Maurice stood up, groaning and rubbing his hip where he fell. He picked up his oil lamp, and peered through the woods.

"Buttercup? Damn you, you blasted horse, get back here!"

Suddenly, a wild howl broke through the woods. By the light of the moon, a wolf slinked up to the edge of a nearby cliff. It turned its bright yellow eyes on Maurice, sending a bolt of fear through his heart. The man darted up to his legs, and ran as fast as he could with his bad leg. He could hear the wolves growling behind him, getting closer with every step he took. Adrenaline burned in his veins until he finally burst out of the forest.

Tall, dark, ominous gates loomed in front of him. The top of the gate was topped my gothic spikes, causing an involuntary shudder to find its way down Maurice's spine. He darted to the gate, and tried to open it. The gate fell open with ease, squeaking on its rusty metal hinges. The wolves were right behind him, snapping at his heels. He slammed the gate just in the nick of time, for the wolves had just arrived short of the entrance. One poked its muzzle through the bars of the gate and latched onto the end of Maurice's boot, causing him to fall. He desperately crawled away, loosing his hat in the process. A bolt of lightning shot across the sky as rain began to fall. The wolf holding onto his leg growled slightly, then let go, retreating with the rest of the pack.

Maurice gave a shuddering breath and got up, scrambling towards the castle. He knocked on the large door with a menacing knocker in the shape of a wolf's head.

"Hello?" he called out, "Is anybody home?"

The door creaked open slightly, and he let himself in. He looked beyond the entrance, confused as to who opened the door, for there was nobody there.

"Allo Monsieur," came a voice from Maurice's side. He whipped around, only to find himself alone.

"_Finnick, are you crazy!" _came another whisper from the same area.

"_Oh come on Beetee, he looks cold and wet. Allow him to stay a bit, get dried up. _Hello sir," the same voice called.

"Who are you? I'm not afraid of you," Maurice Everdeen stated, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the room. He picked up the lit candelabra that was sitting on a small desk beside a clock.

"Allo," said a voice, coming from the area around his hand. Maurice startled when he looked at the candelabra, and found a pair of eyes looking back at him. He dropped the source of light, which fell to the floor.

"I-I….what….h-ow?" he stuttered, backing up towards the desk. He flinched when he saw the clock jump off the table to help the candle up.

"Oh now you've gone and done it Finnick. The master will never forgive us for this!" the Clock said, grumbling slightly.

"Ah Beetee, allow the kind sir some shelter from the cold. Look, he's shivering,"

"But the master-"

"Be quiet Beetee," the candle said. He hopped over to Maurice and held out one of his candlesticks.

"Allo kind monsieur. My name is Finnigan Odair, but you may call me Finnick, and this grumpy fellow is my friend Beetee,"

"Incredible," Maurice said, picking up Beetee. He protested loudly, but to no avail. Maurice twisted around the hands on the clock face, causing Beetee to wince slightly. He opened the latch.

"No no no don't do that!" Beetee yelled as Maurice moved the pendulum from side to side. Beetee started to snort to contain his laughter. "T-t-that ti-tickles,"

"Kind sir, if you'll come with me, we can get you warmed up in front of the fire," Finnick states, waving a candlestick and hopping towards a large door on the end of the hallway. Maurice nods and follows him.

"Finnick, I think this is a very bad idea, what if the master finds out?" Beetee hisses, following them.

"Nonsense buddy, even the master wouldn't turn away an aged gentleman," he said, gesturing for Maurice to sit in a chair that was in front of the fire. Maurice limped to it. Immediately after he sat down, a coat hanger draped a blanket over his lap. He chuckled in surprise, laughing as a barking footrest wormed its way underneath his feet, wagging its tassel almost like a dog.

A whir of wheels was heard as a tea cart rolled into the open. A large teapot sat on it, chuckling slightly. She poured a bit on tea into a tiny cup, which jumped into Maurice's hands.

"Now go on you dear. You must be frightfully cold. Have some tea. It'll warm you right up," the pot said in a very kind voice.

"No no no, don't do that. I don't think that's a good idea Hazelle. Don't let him sit in the master's chair and drink tea!" Beetee said nervously.

"Oh hush up Beetee, the poor man needs to warm his bones," Hazelle Potts the teapot said, glaring at him. This shut Beetee right up.

Maurice brought the cup to his lips and took a sip, only to find it giggle slightly. He looked down to find bright blue eyes looking at him.

"Mrs. Potts, his mustache tickles!" she giggled. Another teacup with grey eyes peered over the side looking at the one Maurice held.

"Does it Prim?" it said, its eyes wide and mischevious.

"It does Rory!" she said. Rory hopped onto Maurice's lap.

"Wanna see something I can do?" he asked. Maurice nodded, his eyes crinkling in the corners with mirth. Rory held his breath, and blew bubbles in the tea that was inside him. Maurice chuckled.

"Now Rory, that's bad manners," Hazelle scolded slightly.

"But moooommmm," Rory whined. Hazelle looked at him sternly and he and Prim hopped back onto the cart.

Suddenly, a large draft blew through the room, and the roar of a voice echoed through the castle. The fire blew out, and the mood grew somber and frightened. Prim and Rory huddled behind Hazelle, tinkling slightly as they shivered out of fright. A scared expression passed over Finnick's face, his candles no longer lit. Beetee made a rattling noise as he quivered.

"Now you've gone and done it!" he hissed his eyes wide.

"WHO DARES ENTER MY CASTLE!?" the voice roared out menacingly.

Maurice turned around slowly, his heart thudding.

And found himself face to face with the most frightful man he had ever set eyes on.

* * *

**And Enter Peeta Mellark.**

**This chapter was actually very fun to write. The dynamic between Lumiere and Cogworth (Finnick and Beetee) has always intrigued me.**

**I'm not going to promise update dates anymore, since I can never keep up to them and life keeps on throwing one thing or another at me. **

**So, did you guys like this chapter? I can't wait to write the scene between Peeta and Katniss next chapter, when Katniss decides to take her father's place. Sadly though, school starts tommorow, and though I had this week off, all good things must come to an end.**

**Also, for those of you who follow more than one of my stories, I have a new one in the works based off a plot bunny I couldn't get out of my head. Its called "The Immortals" and I'm going to type up the first chapter sometime within the next two weeks, whenever time permits since I already have the first chapter written down in a notebook. It features immortality, and many different supernatural and sci-fi elements, as well as characters originating from different places. Here's a sneak peek of Characters and their origins.**

**Peeta Mellark- French Courts - early fifteenth century**

**Madge Undersee - French Courts - early fifteenth century - Peeta's niece (very tragic story behind this, he has to raise her on his own)**

**Rue and Thresh - siblings - Ghana Empire of Africa**

**Primrose and Katniss Everdeen - Mughal Empire - Anglo-Indian (I wanted to make her Indian because in my mind it fit and maybe also because I'm 100% Indian)**

**Finnigan and Annaliese Odair - British Explorers - late fifteenth century**

**Foxface - Scottish Princess - inspiration off of Merida from "Brave"**

**Johanna Mason - Amazon Warrior**

**The Hawthornes - Workers and soldiers during WWII - American**

**Beetee and Wiress - Husband and Wife - Chinese Astrophysicists**

**Haymitch Abernathy- description not availiable yet**

**Effie Trinket - Description not availiable yet**

**So thats my basic character list for the story. I'm not sure who else I want to add, but I'll figure it out as I go along. Stay tuned for the story!**

**Thanks for all the review's guys. I'm glad that you guys have received this story so positively.**

**Please REVIEW and tell me what you guys think. Don't be afraid to criticize, I appreciate criticism since it allows me to improve my writing. **

**~Reaper**


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